Avengers - Assassins
by FireEmblemLover39
Summary: A young pair of assassins return from a mission to find a mysterious invite to a school of magic, something they accept. Once in the school, the two discover that their alias' are becoming feared throughout the wizarding world, and that a mysterious up and coming organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D are looking for them, whats an assassin to do? Part of a planned series.
1. Chapter 1

**Year: 1**

 **Side: Barton/Romonoff**

 **Characters**

 **Clint Barton: A love-struck assassin/spy, fiercely loyal but finds it difficult to trust**

 **Natasha Ramonoff: An assassin/spy whom Clint is deeply infatuated with, ruthless and uses his feelings to her gain, commonly seen as a team**

 **Phil coulson: A member of S.H.E.I.L.D who supports the ideas and aims to be a secret agent for the future organization studies the movements of the elusive Hawkeye and Black Widow, not so secretly fanboys over Captain America**

 **Nick Fury: A mysterious boy with a keen eye, Phil's commanding officer who hopes to one day make S.H.E.I.L.D an either official or unofficial organization , is currently trying to find the elusive assassins**

 **Steve Rogers: A child soldier who ultimately defeated Grindenwald, frozen for seventy years and is trying to adjust to the new world**

 **Tony Stark: Genius inventor who was kidnapped at a young age, details classified, for reasons unknown, he holds a certain resentment to Steve**

 **Bruce Banner: Genius with major temper problems, respects Tony for not fearing him and "speaking English" as the latter puts it, the two are trying to induct technology into the magical world**

 **Thor: ?**

 **Loki: ?**

* * *

"The hawk has nested." An eleven year old boy in a purple costume said into his communicator. He promptly pulled an arrow from his quiver and took aim to cover his partner. From his position on the roof, he had a good view of the building a couple blocks over, where his partner was infiltrating. You might have guessed by now that he was no ordinary boy.

"The web is woven." Came the response from his earpiece. The boy aligned his sights with a redheaded girl with pretty green eyes, who was currently saying something to the front guard of the mansion. After a moment he moved his sights to the guard who seemed rather concerned for the girl, before following her into the mansion when the guard let her in. So far so good. Moving his sights around her, he narrowed his eyes when he spotted a patrol to her left, aligning his sights on them.

"Trouble on the port." He muttered as he looked for a possible escape for her if things got messy. "A den starboard." He said as he spotted a small gap in security before aiming his sights back on her. She was walking somewhat nervously, clutching a letter the front guard had given her when the other guards caught sight of her. The boy quickly moved his sights back on them, waiting for things to go downhill. Upon stopping her, the guards began interrogating her presence before she fearfully held the note out. The leader of the patrol took the note roughly before scanning it, motioning his men to keep an eye on her. The redhead fidgeted nervously the whole time he read, before the man's face melted into a warm smile. He gently handed the note back to her with something that could have been an apology before pointing in some specific directions and moving on with his patrol. The boy kept his sights on them for a moment in case they turned back before moving to keep an eye on his partner as she continued on her path. When she disappeared behind the front door, the boy got up from his perch and moved to another vantage point. After a brief climb, he was on another rooftop, aiming his sights through a window that gave him a good view of the room his partner was in. She was alone with what appeared to be a very wealthy man, the owner of the mansion...and their target. The two were sharing a meal, she asking him questions apparently, when he collapsed. The girl quickly got up and rummaged through a couple of things before finding what she had been looking for in a small alcove under a loose floorboard before she opened the window, climbing out and silently closing it in one fluid motion. The boy kept sights on her in case of attack, warning her when to take cover.

The whole operation only lasted five minutes.

The boy quickly left his perch to meet her at the rendezvous. Moving past dumpsters and alleys, he met up with her at a small apartment some distance away. The place was tiny, with one room and little care from the owners, but it suited their needs. It wasn't likely to be connected with the crime scene and was discreet enough that few would question their presence. His partner locked the door behind them, he checking the ventilation for eavesdroppers, before she spoke.

"Complete success. Good work Hawkeye." She said with a small smile, causing his heartbeat to quicken.

"I'm just glad no tanks came out this time. That was a nightmare." He said as he sat on the bed, checking his bow for signs of ware. He had had it prepped to fire the whole time after all. It was then that they heard it, a small pecking sound. Hawkeye pulled one of his arrows, ready to use as a dagger, while his partner reached for one of her various guns simultaneously. The two instantly located the source of the noise: The window. Hawkeye slowly positioned himself against the wall beside it while his partner did the same with the opposite wall. Making brief eye contact, they both gave a small nod before tearing the curtains open. There plan was for the attacker to tumble in giving them the chance to quickly close the curtain and capture the pursuer so she could find out how many knew their location. What they got was an owl still pecking the window. The two made brief eye contact again, silently questioning if the other knew what was going on, before Hawkeye shrugged and she opened the window just enough for the irate bird to get in before closing it and the curtains. It was Hawkeye's sharp eyes that first caught it.

"Letters." He muttered as he carefully removed said items from the bird's leg. He carefully flipped them over a couple of times, testing the weight for any traps concealed inside, before once more making eye contact with his partner. "They're addressed to us."

She quirked a brow before extending her hand for her letter. Hawkeye complied before looking at his own again.

 _Mr. C Barton_

 _Treehouse Motel_

 _The cheapest room_

Hawkeye's eyes narrowed as he opened the letter to read it's contents. Something that specific was never a good sign.

 _'We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of school supplies. We expect your owl by June 1'_

Hawkeye scanned the list, twice, before putting the letter down and looking at his partner, removing his hood as he did so. She seemed to be trying to figure something out as she scrutinized the letter repeatedly, not seeming to comprehend what she was reading. He decided to speak up when it seemed if she stared any harder the letter would burst in flames.

"It's legit. I've seen magic before." He said with a smirk. It was always amusing to know something she didn't. She moved her hard gaze onto him before it softened into a hurt expression, making him instantly want to do something to cheer her up despite knowing it was fake.

"You wouldn't lie to me would you Clint?" She asked with something of a whimper in her voice. Clint cringed before remembering he wasn't lying.

"Of course not. You see a lot of things in circuses. For me a wizard thought I was one of them and just started blabbing, I guess he was right." The more mischievous assassin said with a shrug and small smirk. Natasha blinked before regaining her composure, her eyes narrowing as her mind raced. So this was the part where-

"I've got to go. Stay here." She said before she carefully made her way outside. Clint sighed before pulling himself up into the air vents. After a bit of crawling around, he was in the perfect spot to guard the building. It wouldn't do to have people see the bird and him suited up after all. Clint notched an arrow and took aim at various things to both pass the time and keep an eye out for hostiles. First, he aimed at a drunk couple going into the nearby alleyway, quickly deciding not to look, or even think, on that, he moved to aim at a homeless man who was wandering too close for comfort before turning away and laying down on the sidewalk, things like that. It was about an hour later that movement caught his eye again and he instinctively set his sights on the source. Natasha was walking back towards their room with a serious expression. Looking around to make sure she hadn't been followed, he slipped out of the vent and landed neatly next to her. Natasha, used to this type of entrance from him, nodded and motioned back inside. Clint followed her in, himself being the one to lock the door this time, to be greeted by an irritated hoot from the almost forgotten owl perched on the bed.

"We going?" He asked as he picked his letter back up along with a pen he found in one of the dwares. Natasha nodded, so Clint wrote a quick response, tying the letter back to the owl's leg afterwards, Natasha followed his lead. Clint could have sworn the owl stuck it's tongue out at them before he let it out the window, but maybe it was just him. Natasha held a grim look as she watched the bird fly away before turning to him.

"How do we get there?" She asked with a frown, eliciting a shrug from Clint.

"I've only ever heard that guy babble and do a couple of spells. We'll find out when they receive our acceptance I guess. I do know that they have some kind of tracking charm on the letters though, better not be suited up when they come." He said nonchalantly as he went to the bathroom to change.

"In other words we're going in blind." The other spy said with a frown.

"It's a school. No one will be the wiser." Clint said with a smirk as he emerged from the bathroom, wearing a black tanktop and matching pants. Natasha returned his smirk after a moment of thought.

"True."

It was a week later and still no response from the school, but being the spies that they were, the two were being patient and taking the delay to their advantage. Natasha had set up a temporary ownership of the motel room for them to stay in so as to not rouse suspicion when they appeared, trouble was they were staying close to the crime scene. As a result, they both kept a cautious eye out for police that were investigating the area. They also couldn't go on anymore missions at the moment in case a teacher showed up to escort them to the wizarding world while they were 'working'. Clint amused himself with modifying his trick arrows some of the time, while others he looked for more string for his bow and went through drills on what to do in situations with Natasha. The latter seemed to be getting more and more skeptical of the whole thing, occasionally questioning him if it was a prank before he reminded her that the letters were delivered by _owl_ and that he knew better than to compromise their position. When the teacher arrived, Clint had been cleaning his bow while Natasha brushed her hair. The teacher's arrival was announced by a knock on the door. Both assassins froze what they were doing before making brief eye contact. With a slight nod, Natasha got up to answer the door while Clint stashed his bow away and withdrew a knife to hold up defensively, Natasha doing something similar.

"Who is it?" The female spy asked with caution lacing her tone.

"Your teacher. Let me in." Came a smooth voice from the other side, electing a frown from both assassins.

"What do you mean?" Asked Natasha with a little bit of defiance in her voice. There was a slight scoff from the other side before the door unlocked itself and let in a greasy haired man, who promptly froze for half a second when he saw Natasha, a half a second that both spies took note of.

"So that's what you meant." Clint said cheekily, earning a glare from the teacher. Natasha closed the door behind him before tucking her knife away but keeping it withing easy reach, Clint doing the same. This was one of their magic teachers, huh? Clint was not impressed.

"Sorry sir, but living here we've got to exercise caution." She said with what Clint knew to be false remorse. The teacher's black eyes softened when he looked at her. Clint knew that look, it was one of love and regret, one that he himself often gave the girl. Who was this teacher seeing when he looked at her?

"It's understandable under these conditions. I am Professor Snape, I will be your potions master." The teacher dismissed quickly. Poor bastard, Nat was going to use his feelings in the same way Clint was used.

"I'm Natasha Ramonoff, and this is my friend, Clint Barton. How will we be getting to Hogwarts?" Natasha introduced then asked. Snape gave a small smile before answering.

"Nice to meet you. I will take you through the floo. We will need a fire place." He said, earning a quirked brow from Natasha.

"Fire?" She asked skeptically, causing Snape to blink. Clint spoke up.

"She's muggleborn. I was the one who convinced her magic was real." He said, earning a nod of understanding from Snape. Of course Clint was muggleborn too...probably. At least he didn't think his parents had been magic, nor was Barney.

"Then I will guide you through. Follow me." Snape said, offering a strange glance between the two. Almost nostalgic. With that, he turned around and proceeded outside, the two assassins shared a glance before following him, having packed what little they had earlier while Clint folded his bow to stash in his jacket, though his quiver was still visible people assumed he just liked to practice archery. They'd be partially right, he did like it. He led them down the street to a small shop in between a bookstore and a jeweler that was strangely ignored. It seemed like a good place to hide out on occasion. Snape led them over to the fireplace and grabbed a strange powder.

"Take a pinch of this and throw it to the fireplace and step in. Would you care to demonstrate Barton?" Snape asked after a moment, Clint quickly scrambled for an excuse.

"I'm actually a halfblood, and my father wasn't too fond of magic. I've never gone by floo before." He lied smoothly, having done cover ups before. Snape nodded and decided to demonstrate himself. He threw the powder causing it to flare an emerald color. He gave a couple instructions on how to go before going through. Clint and Natasha followed him through to Diagon Alley. They both made it OK, used to landings on Clint's part and trained for balance on Natasha's.

"I see why he doesn't like it." Clint mumbled after getting his bearings, earning a small quirk of the lips from Snape.

"No kidding." Natasha muttered in response. It was a rather uneventful trip from there, the assassins mentally marking everything and gathering as much information as possible. They also made mental notes to interact with goblins as little as possible seeing as every single one eyed them suspiciously, perhaps somehow sensing that their hands were stained with blood. Even so, they found themselves having more fun then they had had in a long time when they explored the alley itself. Clint personally wanted to see how the brooms handled, maybe use one for more vantage points in missions, while Natasha eyed the arithmacy and Flourish and Blotts. Though what Ollivander said about their wands unnerved them as they seemed to reflect the duo's nature as assassins. They came to the silent agreement to lie about their wands if asked. Not need to compromise themselves. Snape occasionally gave the odd look to them, but otherwise nothing happened, aside from Natasha occasionally having to keep Clint from climbing the buildings and said assassin grumbling almost inaudibly about the lack of ventilation for him to explore. Snape found himself amused at their antics, no matter how subtle they were, and vaguely reminded of himself and Lily while he escorted them around. Hogwarts would be interesting with these two there, too bad Potter would be too. He dismissed their subtle natures as them having to grow up early.

 **So this is yet another story. Yeah...I guess this is based partially on the comics for some of the character background. Some will be movie, you'll just have to identify which is which. Also for those of you who are curious, S.H.I.E.L.D won't become an official thing until second year. Also, I have no intention of letting the avengers join Harry's group or visa versa. They will interact with him and he will still be up to his own antics, but they have a different plot.**

 **I'm considering rewriting this chapter, putting a little more details in areas I rushed through, but I'll need a beta to do that. Help?**


	2. Chapter 2

Time passed rather quickly for the two assassins, what with studying everything they'd bought and investigating every nook and cranny of the alley, particularly nocturne alley. Before either of them knew it, it was time to head to King's Cross. Clint carried their things while Natasha charmed people for directions. Apparently they were orphans relying on a strict scholarship now, oh well it was a partial truth anyway. Clint's sharp eyes scanned the crowd while Natasha led them to the destination she had acquired. It seemed like an ordinary brick wall, but he was willing to bet there was magic to hide the platform. Looking at the platforms nearby, he decided it made sense that it would be the third pillar between nine and ten. It was actually somewhat clever, though he didn't ask how Natasha had got the directions, she was a master of interrogation after all. Clint just walked straight into the wall, having done stupider things in the past (In her more childish moments, Natasha loved to mention the time he shot an arrow straight down the barrel of a rocket launcher) he was undeterred by the prospect of crashing. He was rather smug when he phased right through the wall onto another platform. One that was crowded and noisy, exactly the kind of thing an archer like him would hate to be in the middle of. Unfortunately for him, in the middle of it he was. Clint put on his assassin mask so as to not wince at the shear volume, which was amplified for him due to his sharp senses, and proceeded to the train, Natasha on his heals. It took a very little time to find a suitable compartment, in which he also got a strict warning from Natasha to not climb up on top of the train. Most the ride was spent quietly, with Natasha reading a potions book and Clint spotting things out the window, wishing to get on top but not wanting to suffer the wrath of an angry Black Widow.

"Hey, mind if I sit here?" Clint looked at the entrance to the compartment to see a blonde boy with blue eyes similar to his own. Closer inspection revealed a muscled frame and a soldier like posture.

"Whats wrong with your seat?" Natasha asked as she looked up from her book. The boy cringed.

"Can't stand someone that's in there." He said with a small sigh, causing Clint to smirk.

"I know that feeling. Just don't bother Nat and you'll be fine in here." He said, earning a considering look from Natasha before she seemed to decide he had included her in the decision after all.

"Thank you. I'm Steve by the way. Steve Rogers." The boy said as he sat down next to Clint, who gave him an odd look before shrugging.

"Clint Barton. She's someone who will introduce herself if she wants to." He said before looking back out the window, not noticing Steve's hesitant yet accepting nod. In the reflection, he noticed Steve pull out a sketchbook and begin to draw. Not long after, the door opened again to reveal a bushy haired girl with somewhat large front teeth and a whimpering boy who was a bit chubby, kind of like how Clint himself had been when he was small, though he only vaguely remembered it. That alone prompted him to see what they wanted.

"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one." She asked after looking around for a second. Natasha seemed vaguely annoyed as she gave a negative, while Steve gave an apologetic one.

"Went that way." Clint said as he pointed down the hall, catching Steve's attention.

"Thank you. Come on Neville." The girl said before moving down the train and closing the door behind her.

"When did that happen?" Steve asked confusedly, Natasha gave a small smirk, while Clint's was rather large.

"When you were in the doorway. It hopped passed your feet." He said with a vague gesture to the floor, earning a flat look from Steve. Clint just smirked at the look he so commonly got from people. It was getting a little stuffy though, that's why he opened the window, ignoring the hard look Natasha was giving him that screamed 'don't do it'. Steve just watched the exchange with an unreadable expression before shrugging and going back to his drawing. When the witch with the food cart came, Natasha seemed about ready to kill someone, so Clint quickly dismissed her saying they didn't have any money, only for Steve to decide he wanted a snack and by a few things from the strangely under-stashed cart. Natasha forbade Clint from eating any of the sugary treats.

"Why?" Steve had asked, earning a humorless laugh from Natasha.

"Last time he got on a sugar high..." She trailed off. Steve seemed to understand as he tried to subtly pull the treats away from the assassin. Clint just smirked as he remembered how he had compromised the whole mission. That was when they decided to bring a tank in...

The assassins separated from Steve when they got off the train, following the shouts of 'first years o'er here'. Upon seeing their guide, Clint's thoughts were ' _A giant. Why not?_ '. Indeed, the man was huge. Easily towering over most people with a good fifteen feet and beady eyes that revealed everything, he seemed to wear his heart on his sleeve. Clint didn't know how ordinary people would see in this lighting, but he was positive it was dark enough for full grown adults who were used to the terrain to misstep, yet they expect kids to on their first day here? Clint looked to his left where Nat was keeping a careful eye on her footing, he himself seeing perfectly all the people that were having trouble. Luckily for him, Nat was highly skilled and easily adaptable, so she was moving around like normal in no time at all. Steve seemed to be moving pretty easily too from his position in the front, as if to protect everyone from an unseen danger. He couldn't resist a small smirk. _The danger isn't up there pal._ As if reading his mind, Natasha gave an identical smirk as they briefly made eye contact. Just then, there was a shout about getting their first sight of Hogwarts, and Clint was genuinely speechless. The castle was _huge_. If he could climb to the top...and quite possibly inside... then the probable dungeons...and the secrets this place just _screamed_ it had...he couldn't wait! Natasha gave him a knowing smirk, but he brushed it off as he absently walked with the group, noting the tale-tale hay of an eagle's nest at the top of one of the towers as well as all the birds perched in a tower a little bit away, likely the owlrey.

"Not bad, but it could use a modern touch." Came a voice from within the crowd. Clint looked sharply over and pinpointed the source as a familiar face. Not one that he's ever met before, but one that most people knew. Tony Stark was a wizard. Clint briefly glanced at Natasha to see that she had her plotting face on. Stark was in trouble it seemed. Whoever Nat worked for were going to have a field day.

They soon came upon a fleet of boats, expected to get in with three other people. Naturally, Clint and Natasha were together, while a tall blonde got in behind them as well as a black haired boy who seemed to be more interested in his book than the castle. Probably been here before if that was the case. Clint didn't focus on them for long, though he did keep his guard up when he felt eyes on him, and instead went back to fantasizing about exploring the many secret passageways the castle was bound to have. It wasn't long before the boat ride ended and they were once more walking towards the castle. Their giant guide knocked sharply on the door three times before it opened to reveal a witch dressed in emerald robes. Clint looked past her into the entrance hall, already spotting three separate hidden passages that he was just itching to go into. The first years soon found themselves in front of a set of large double doors to what was presumable the great hall, and Clint's hidden passage count went up to twelve. After McGonnagal left to get ready, useless chatter started popping up around the crowd, though Clint had to roll his eyes at a redhead's belief that they had to fight a troll. Sure he, Nat, and Steve could probably handle one, but he and Nat were undercover so that just brought it down to Steve. Pitting them against one before they learned their first spell would be counterproductive. Clint then wondered if he could use magic to get say...fire arrows. That would be cool and infinitely useful, he wondered why he hadn't thought of that sooner.

Their thoughts were soon interrupted by the arrival of ghosts. If Clint didn't have a halfblood cover he would have let himself freak out and give some sarcastic remarks, instead he kept his mouth firmly shut. He smirked however, when Tony Stark gave sarcastic remarks in his place. The ghosts seemed friendly enough, giving warm welcomes and reassuring the students, but Clint kept a cautious eye on them all the same.

Swordmaster had seemed friendly too.

"Form a line and follow me." McGonnagol said when she came back and shooed the ghosts away. Everyone complied, Clint finding himself behind another black haired boy who had eyes the same color as Nat's. _Harry Potter, supposed wizarding savior, possible threat if he lives up to his reputation, but I doubt it._ The spy in him instantly supplied as he discreetly analyzed the boy. He seemed _far_ too lost and confused for that to be the case. At least at the moment anyway. After his half second long observation, Clint allowed his gaze to drift in awe, before locking his gaze on the ceiling. Obviously charmed as he knew this was the first floor of the castle, but magnificent all the same. The ceiling seemed to melt right off into the sky outside, projecting a perfect illusion of being under the stars. The floating candles somewhat unnerved him though, until he realized that the wax wasn't dropping, allowing him to appreciate it all the more.

Clint idly fingered the arrows hidden within the folds of his robes as a stool and hat were placed in the front of the hall, ignoring Snape for now as the latter seemed to be paying attention to him and Nat particularly. His fingering could be played off as nervousness, he knew that from experience, but he forced his fingers to slow down until they stopped all together anyway. After a small song in which Clint found with no small bit of resentment that his mind was was going to be invaded, it was time for the sorting.

"When I call your name, the sorting hat will be placed on your head and you will be sorted into your houses. Abbot, Hannah."

"Hufflepuff!" The hat shouted after a moment of consideration.

"Banner, Bruce!" A nervous boy shuffled up and tentatively took a seat.

"Ravenclaw!"

"Barton, Clint." Clint nervously walked up to the stool, not because he was actually nervous or anything, (he couldn't afford to be nervous as Nat's partner) but to sell out his impressionable child act. The hat was placed on his head, and before it covered his eyes he saw Nat giving a look that conveyed easily 'don't blow our cover'. As such, the first thing he thought when he felt a presence in his mind was 'Can a hat feel pain? I'm thinking fire."

 _'And you have it too I see. Don't worry, Ravenclaw predicted that there would be some that valued privacy and charmed me to spontaneously com-bust if I tried to reveal someone's secrets. Though I doubt she ever anticipated a spy of your caliber to come.'_ He heard in his head, causing him to wonder why the founder risked a spies secrets being kept. Did she personally know someone who had secrets? It seemed likely.

 _'Good.'_ He thought.

 _'Hmm, betrayed and left for dead on multiple occasions, yet you had the strength to get up each time it seems. Gryffindore would values that, but I see that's not where you should be. A bright mind, though you only learn to further your protection. Your trick arrows and cunning style are something Slytherin would approve of, add to your spy and assassin profession and they could hone those skills, perhaps. Though you also have qualities of a Hufflepuff, yes a lot of them. Your loyalty to the Black Widow is truly formidable, where to put you?'_ Clint thought about that, knowing the hat was listening to his thoughts, Nat would probably be a Slytherin, so it would be better for them to cover more ground, have access to more sources. At the same time, if they were separated then they're abilities would be cut in half if they were compromised, though Clint could probably find some secret entrance to her dormitory if needed. She could hold her own too, at least long enough to find him if she needed too while he could just go into one of the many secret passages he intended to find if it was on his part.

 _'All good points, ones that Rowena would approve of, so it better be -'_

"Hufflepuff!" The hat shouted aloud, earning cheers from his new house while the others clapped politely. A part of him found it ironic that 'Hawkeye' went to the house of the badger, but he was more interested in the sorting than entertaining that thought.

"Bones. Susan."

"Hufflepuff!"

"Coulson, Phil." The black haired boy from the boat, the one with the book, went up and took a full five minutes to sort.

"Hufflepuff!" The hat shouted after a while. The boy took a seat beside Clint and nodded acknowledgement before paying attention to the sorting again. Dean Thomas became the first Gyiffindore and so on until-

"Potter, Harry." The malnourished boy nervously approached the hat and took almost as long as Clint to be sorted. Clint started lightly tapping his finger on the table after the ten minute mark.

"Gryffindore!" Harry received the loudest cheers yet, causing Clint to actually have to cover his extra sensitive ears while his expression scrunched up in pain, something Natasha noticed as she glared at the table in general. Snape seemed to notice as well as he pointed Clint out to the headmaster.

"That's enough!" The headmaster shouted in a magically amplified voice to be heard. The chears stopped in confusion as everyone looked curiously at Dumbledore, "Do keep in mind that some people have sharp ears." The headmaster said with the briefest of glances at Clint, who had his hands hovering over his still ringing ears and only barely heard what was said. The sorting started up again after that, picking up with Natasha who went to Slytherin as he had predicted.

"Rogers Steve." The whole hall went silent again for the soldier out of time, who went to Gryffindore, who promptly went in to even _louder_ cheering, actually causing Clint to cry out in pain this time.

"QUiET!" Both Dumbledore and an older Hufflepuff shouted over the noise, causing the house to sheepishly realize he was still there and quiet down. Phil put a hand on his shoulder.

"They didn't cause you to go deaf did they?" He asked as the older Hufflepuff gave him a sympathetic look. Clint didn't answer, not having heard the question as just that had happened, he hoped it was temperary.

"Can we get Madam Pomfrey here?" The older Hufflepuff asked over the sorting, causing the hall to go very quiet. After a stunned moment, Dumbledore stood up again.

"What seems to be the problem?" He asked amiably, causing Coulson to frown.

"I think he went deaf." This time it was Dumbledore's turn to frown as he made his way down. Clint noticed movement and turned to look at him, a slight defensiveness in his eyes. While the headmaster was performing a diagnostic spell on Clint, Snape gave his fiercest glare yet to the Griffindore table, who seemed to shrink under said glare, while McGonnagal's mouth was pulled into a thin line.

"It seems it's only temporary. I would still recommend a check up from Madam Pomfrey however." The headmaster said after a moment, "Could you escort him to the hospital wing, Mr. Diggory?"

"Yes sir." Diggory said as he got up and made to gently tug Clint's arm.

"I'll go too." Everyone turned to look at the Slytherin table, where Natasha had stood and was making her way to Clint.

"You really should stay for the feast, Ms. Ramonoff." Dumbledore said amiably, Natasha gave him a hard look.

"Clint get's jumpy. A jumpy Clint isn't a pleasant Clint. I know how to deal with him." She said defiantly, causing Dumbeldore to frown in thought. Clint looked between them as the conversation continued, horrified that he couldn't hear them. How was he supposed to cover Nat if he couldn't hear what was coming?! In his agitation, his hand started to twitch ever so slightly, something Dumbledore noticed.

"Very well, you may accompany him." He said at last, Natasha promptly gestured for Clint to follow her, something he did eagerly. Nat knew something, Nat knowing something was always a good sign for him, for others not so much. He followed her and the other boy down a few halls, making a couple of turns and some detours due to moving corridors, before making it to the hospital wing. A highly exasperated Madam Pomfrey came out to greet them, while Clint couldn't hear what she was saying, Natasha could.

"Honestly, someone already got sent down here before the welcoming feast was even finished? What happened?" She asked in pure exasperation, causing Cedric to rub the back of his head sheepishly.

"It's not me this time ma'am. It's Clint, he apparently has sharp ears, and both Harry Potter and Steve Rogers were sorted into Gryffindore..." He trailed off as a look of understanding came across Madam Pomfrey's face.

"I see, and why are you here?" She asked as she turned to Natasha.

"Clint and I are close. I know how to deal with him when he gets jumpy, seeing as he won't be able to hear anything for now." She said in false worry.

"Well, with the right potions, he should be hearing just as well as he was by tomorrow. How did his ears get so sharp?" Pomfrey asked after performing a diagnostic spell and going to retrieve a potion, which Clint eyed warily before Natasha took it and offered it to him, causing him to accept it.

"Necessity. When I met Clint, he had been left for dead, he's been extra cautious ever since." She said as she took the bottle back from him at Profrey's gesture.

"That's terrible." Cedric frowned in pity, which Clint caught.

"I don't need pity." He said in response to the expression, causing Cedric to give a sheepish apology before remembering he couldn't hear.

"At any rate, you two should return to the great hall, I'll keep him here over night." Pomfrey said after a moment. Natasha nodded and with an assurance she'd be back first chance, left with Cedric. At the door however, Natasha froze and turned around with a smirk.

"Fair warning: He's adventurous." She said before leaving a slightly horrified Pomfrey to keep a close eye on her newest problem patient (Oh Pomefrey...).

* * *

The next day and start of term proved to be exciting, after a while. Clint was released from the hospital wing early enough to make it to classes, his first one being herbology with the Gryffindores. The very same ones who temporarily deafened him. Joy.

Rather than focusing on them, Clint focused on the teacher and the lessons. Professor Sprout, after making sure he could hear properly, began explaining the rules, making it very firm about their volume. (She said some of the plants got antsy, but Clint suspected it was because of him. He wasn't made of glass dammit! In retrospect saying that aloud hadn't been his best idea.) As they were separating two kinds of herbs, Steve approached him.

"Hey, about last night..." He began, only to get a smirk from Clint.

"Don't worry about it. It's not like you wanted that reaction, I saw you flinch at it too." He said dismissively. Steve blinked a couple of times.

"Good eyes and ears, have you thought about quiditch?" He asked after a moment, causing Clint to give him a flat look.

"Go right in the center of constant cheering from all _four_ houses when one of them deafened me, sounds like fun." He said sarcastically. Steve winced slightly.

"I just..." He trailed off, Clint offered him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

"Can't be easy adjusting to not one but two new cultures, huh?" He asked, earning a small nod from the soldier. He meant it, Clint was no soldier out of time, but he was a spy. He'd gone undercover in a few cultures since meeting Natasha, it never got any easier to figure them out. After they're small conversation, Clint noticed Phil had started up a much more lively conversation with the captain-turned-student. He also learned that his classmate was a complete fanboy over the captain.

In care of magical creatures, Clint was introduced to various breads of animal, but unfortunately had to just take notes on how to approach them. While he was positive he could handle them - he had been great with taming the animals at the circus after all- he payed attention to every detail of the class in case the magic affected their senses. It wouldn't do to have some animals out him as a spy. His main goal in this class quickly became to befriend a hippogrif, which he read about as he waited for others to finish their notes. It was also where he learned about threstrals - black skeletal horses that only those who have seen death could see. Clint winced slightly when he heard that part, remembering his parents deaths. He didn't particularly care for them, but it did mark the beginning of the tragedy that had become his life.

He brushed off Phil's offer of comfort.

Charms, which he also had with Gryffindore, was his dream class however. With just muggle technology (Not quite obtained by legal means, but hey) he was able to turn a single arrow into crowd control, imagine with magic! He'd never run out of arrows again! The class came easy to him, much to his enjoyment, as he quickly finished his notes and reread them a few times to make sure nothing was amiss.

Potions was an...odd class. Even so, it was here that he would get to find his second favorite class. Clint's mind was already thinking about different potions to coat his arrows in for different situations as he waited in the hallway for Snape to open the door for them. He dived into his book with a fervor that Natasha would be proud of rather than participate in Tony's banter, much to the latter's disappointment as the two quickly found matches in the sarcasm department when they had met. Even Grubbly Plank had cheered on their banter before realizing he was supposed to stop it.

"There will be no foolish wand waving or silly incantations in this class. As such, many of you will hardly believe this is magic." Snape drawled as he swept passed them in such a silent manner it made the assassin proud. He continued with a short speech and roll call, stopping briefly at Stark and himself, the former received a small glare with no real hostility while he received an almost imperceptible nod. Small as it was, it was an action many people caught as they gave him questioning looks. Phil was included, though he kept his professional. Clint vowed he would find out why he was the professor's favorite as was proven within five minutes as everyone but him, Stark, and Banner had received some criticism to their potions. Stark and Banner, who were grouped together for the class, were ignored as their potion was perfect while Clint actually received a small compliment even though his was a half a shade off from where it should be at the current stage.

Transfiguration was another favorite of his. While the teacher was stern in her speech and manner, Clint understood that it was because she didn't want anyone to hurt themselves from not paying attention. It was kind of new as when Nat drilled him, she usually just barked an order that he had to see through. Though that was enough to turn him into a damn good assassin.

"I warn you, transfiguration is one of the most dangerous and complex forms of magic you will learn here. If I see any of you goofing off, you will not return to this class." McGonnagal had said grimly as she made eye contact with each one of them. Clint had just given one of his most serious faces as he had wrote down what she said when she looked his way. Out of the corner of his eye, he had seen her give a brief smile, however small, as she noticed how seriously he was taking her warning. Natasha, who was sitting beside him, had done something similar to him, minus the unnecessary note taking, as she listened to every word. It was only when McGonnagal was satisfied with there reactions that she turned her desk into a pig and back, getting excited applause from each of them, and put them to work taking complex notes. Clint wondered if a muggle school would do something similar as he had missed the whole experience. At least that would contribute to his half blood cover.

In between each class, Clint had explored a little more of the school. By the time the first day was over, he had found eight ways to by pass the moving stairs and twenty secret doors. In his preferred style however, he had found a hidden set of pipes that seemed to cover the whole school with a steep path down that he wasn't willing to take just yet. By the time the first week was over, there wasn't a room without at least fifty vantage points marked out for the archer to use. He could have also sworn that the castle was _alive_ or something as he'd sometimes take the same path twice and appear in different places each time. It was like that that he found his favorite perch on all the grounds: The top of the tallest tower. Naturally, he had made his own map of the castle to refer to when things got tricky. The assassin hoped to one day find a spell to give away the locations of all the occupants on the map. _That_ would be useful.

* * *

The teachers were reviewing the first week of school as Hawkeye delved deeper into the pipes. Every member of staff was gathered in the staff room as they discussed what to expect and some made bets on how the year would go. One Severus Snape seemed to be in a particularly good mood as he reviewed his Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff Class. If the other teachers noticed his slight nostalgia, they didn't say anything as they continued.

"Miss Granger seems to be particularly bright. I have high expectations for that girl." McGonnagal said with a soft smile

"Yes. A muggleborn correct? Both she and Ramonoff remind me greatly of Lily Potter. Those two will go far." Flitwick said with a sad smile as he thought about his deceased student. The older professors all shared a moment of grief as they thought about the ones they had lost in the war.

"Mr. Barton actually reminds me of you at his age Severus. He seems to be in the same position with Ramonoff." Professor Sprout said with a smile.

"Indeed. I noticed that too Pomona." McGonnagal replied with an equal smile. Dumbledore gave a thoughtful hum, but didn't say anything as he thought over the information.

"I-I-I think Mr. P-Pother is rather e-e-exceptional at my class." The defense professor stuttered out. Various people smiled at the news.

"Dear me, I almost forgot! Mr. Stark really has lived up to his reputation. My ravens are already starting to ignore the explosions that are becoming common in the common-room." Flitwick squeaked, earning mixed sighs and chuckles from his coworkers.

"And I specifically asked him not to." McGonnagal lamented in an out of character dramatic way. Dumbledore actually chuckled at his headmistress' rare sense of humor.

"Mr. Rogers seems to be adapting well. I remember meeting him in my youth, the lad has always been a hard worker. Yet to be thrown into what to him is the future..." The headmaster said sadly.

"It seems we have quite the group of first years, huh?" Madam Pince asked humorlessly.


	3. Chapter 3

Two weeks in, and one of Clint's childhood dreams came true - flying! As the archer waited impatiently by his broom, just admiring it for the time being, his classmates were sitting down in various places as they were unsure what to do. He could hear Stark and Banner talking about something siencey while Phil had his book out again on a bench. Justin Flinch Flechly, his classmate and dorm-ate, was chatting with a few other Hufflepuffs. The Ravenclaws seemed to be trying to follow Stark's conversation with Banner, and looked _completely_ lost.

"Welcome to your first flying lesson." Madam Hootch said as she appeared on the field, "What are you waiting for? Move up to your brooms like that young man. Take a point by the way." She said pointing at Clint. Everyone scrambled up with vary few exceptions. Stark was arrogantly pulling a slightly annoyed Banner up while Phil calmly closed his book and set it beside him before moving calmly as opposed to the nervousness of everyone else.

"Now I want you to place your hand over your broom and say 'up'." Hootch said as she demonstrated. Clint had only just put his hand over his broom before it jumped eagerly into his hand. Looking around showed Stark's rolling lazily around as if it was a cat or something while Banner's didn't move an inch until his annoyance turned into anger and it jumped up fearfully. Phil already had his by the time Clint looked as the spy had been amused at the two scientist's show of magic.

"Now when I blow my whistle I want you to push off the ground hard," so jump, "hover for a minute", how do they do that? "then come back down" ? "Ready? Three, two," And she blew the whistle. Like the spy he was, Clint reacted to the whistle on instinct. He jumped lightly into the air as instructed, and let instinct take completely over as he did the rest. While he wanted to soar, to stay up in the air forever, he let his training take him back down upon receiving the order. BOOM!

"SORRY!" Stark said in response to the explosion as he quickly landed and dashed off. Banner gave an apologetic look to Madam Hootch before looking in the direction his friend had taken off in.

"I assume you were a part of that Mr. Banner?" The teacher sighed.

"Yeah. I...um. We were testing gamma radiation in response to what Tony had already discovered in attempt to get magic to work with technology. Someone must have found our work and messed with it because it was supposed to be cooling down before we could do anything more with it." The boy said nervously as he looked in the direction of his friend once more.

"You may go Mr. Banner. I'll talk to the headmaster about getting a secure place for your work." Hootch said in defeat. Wow, and she still had two more famous students and another spy to teach. When thinking about that, Clint almost snickered. He managed to repress it into a smirk as Banner left in a hurry.

The hawk eyed teacher (why were there so many things associated with hawks or birds in general? Oh well, if people found out the assassin was here they'd probably think he was associated with them.) gave another sigh before continuing her lesson. Nothing of note really happened after that, but Clint enjoyed every second in the air. It was where he belonged. After class ended, the spy was disappointed to have to turn his broom in, but he promised himself he'd get one of the latest model if it killed him.

"So what were you smirking about back there?" Clint turned to the side to see Phil walking beside him. It took only a half a second to decide what to say.

" A mix of things really. That was only half the celebrities she'll have to teach." He said as he allowed his smirk to return. Phil gave him an amused look.

"True. And the other thing?" He asked as he was probably imagining being Steve's teacher. Such a fanboy, though he seemed to be able to contain it. That was good.

"Her eyes. Kind of reminded me of a hawk." Clint responded good naturedly.

"Hmm. They did bring Hawkeye to mind." Phil said casually. While Clint contained his reaction, he gave Phil a confused look.

"Hawkeye?" He questioned. Phil gave a slight nod as he pulled his book back out and opened it to where he had been reading.

"Here. Hawkeye is an assassin that has recently been sighted working with the Black Widow. All anyone knows about him is that he prefers arrows and wears purple. He's recently been becoming something to fear." Phil said darkly as he read over the page. Clint frowned as he looked at the book. He'd have to tell Nat about that if she hadn't found it already, but to throw Phil off...

"I guess I should be careful about my archery practice. I don't want to scare anyone." He said with disappointment, playing the part of a simple enthusiast rather than, well...Hawkeye.

"You practice archery?" Phil asked in surprise. Clint gave a nod and a wistful smile.

"Yeah. My family needed help, so I used my bow to make money. Show off, teach others how to use one, things like that. I'd never seen Barney so proud of me." He said wistfully. His face dropped when he remembered what had happened. Why had Barney left him for dead?* If Phil noticed his mood change, he didn't say anything. Clint was grateful for that.

"You must have been a good kid. I'm sure your parents were proud too." Phil said in way of comfort. Clint really appreciated the sentiment, but his parents being proud of him? Hah! There was a higher chance of global warming! Barney was the only one who was ever proud of him, his only family.

"I'm sure they were." He said stiffly, suddenly in a bad mood. He left before something bad could happen, because an assassin being in a bad mood was never a good thing.

It was a few hours later that anyone saw Clint again. It was a third year with an eye patch that saw him at the owlrey. Clint had taken to going there when he wanted to be alone, so as to not raise alarm over him being at places he wasn't supposed to and he could be found. He'd learned a long time ago that if he wasn't found, it usually led to panic and close observation on his caretakers part. For a few minutes, neither said a word past a simple acknowledgement.

"Phil told me about your conversation. You practice archery?" The boy said after sending a letter somewhere. Clint glanced down at him from his perch on the second floor.

"Yeah." He said after a moment. The older boy gave him a stern look, the reason being unknown to the spy. There was another minute of silence, and just when Clint thought he was going to be left alone, the older boy spoke up again.

"That being the case, perhaps you could help us get into the mind of an archer." He said. It was starting to sound like a subtle recruitment speech.

"...You're not looking for Hawkeye, are you?" It was a little bit hasty, but his reasoning for the conclusion was there as he thought about his previous conversation.

"I see you're sharper than you're given credit for."

"You realize Hawkeye is an assassin and you're just a student. Facing an assassin apparently dangerous enough for the Black Widow to team up with will work _so_ well. You realize that, right?" Clint said sarcastically in response. It just wasn't right, why were they looking for him knowing this?

"That is an interesting story I don't have the time to tell. If you want to contact me again, talk to Phil or Stark." The other boy said before leaving. Phil and Stark were involved? Clint watched him go before leaving himself. He needed to tell Nat about this.

* * *

He found his partner in the library, reading a book titled 'Rise and Fall of the Dark Lords.' She seemed to be in the middle of an interesting passage to her standards. Clint personally preferred reading about the goblin wars. Knowing not to disturb her, he took a seat across from her and waited for her to acknowledge him. After a few minutes of silence, Natasha closed her book and went to check it out. Clint followed her, knowing she had caught on to the topic he wanted to discuss and was getting them somewhere no one could hear.

After checking out the book and leaving the library, Natasha motioned for Clint to lead her to one of the secret passages he had found. The archer complied without delay as he led her into the pipe system he had found before.

"What is it?" She asked with crossed arms after she took in the pipes. Clint frowned slightly as he thought about how to word it.

"Someone's looking for us." He said after a moment, causing Natasha to quirk a brow.

"And that required secrecy?" She asked condescendingly, causing Clint to wince.

"Not us, _us._ " He said, emphasizing the last word as he made a gesture as if to pull a bow string. Natasha's face lit up in understanding as she promptly frowned.

"Give me the details." So Clint talked. He told Natasha about the conversation with Phil, and his retreat. He told about the third year, Slytherin now that he thought about it, and his offer to help find himself (wow that sounded philosophical), and he told her about Phil and Stark's apparent parts in it. By the end of it, Natasha had a very noticeable frown as she thought every thing over.

"Why is it that you chose to associate with those two?" She asked after a moment of thought. Clint gave a shrug in answer.

"Luck?" He offered nonchalantly. Natasha's quirked brow prompted him to add, "Very bad luck."

"Obviously. And Phil's your roomate?" She quarried, trying to come up with a plan. Clint nodded in acknowledgement.

"I've already hidden my gear thoroughly, and I haven't given him any reason to suspect me of being anything more than a kid. The story I told him will cover me if someone walks in on me practicing. He's also a house hopper, so he's not in half the time." The assassin said briskly, earning an approving nod from Natasha.

"The best we can do right now is get intel. Pretend your at a lower level than you are and go along with them." She said before making her way out. Clint decided to give it a few days and talk to Phil about it. That would seem less suspicious.

True to his plan, Clint didn't bring it up again. He actually made a point of eyeing Phil and Tony strangely on occasion too, when he knew they were looking out of the corner of their eye. That didn't mean nothing happened with him though. The assassin took the time to his advantage to explore what he had found out was 'The Chamber of Secrets', part of him hoping to find the monster. As he knew he _wasn't_ supposed to be there, he was suited up on the off chance the heir of Slytherin walked in on him while he was searching for more entrances. He'd admit the place was well hidden: He wouldn't have found it had he not been an assassin/archer.

The chamber itself was large and heavily snake themed with winding tunnels that connected with the school's plumbing. Multiple skeletons of unknown origin, he didn't think it was human, littered the ground along side the occasional snake skin. While there was one door he couldn't get passed, (he suspected some serpent themed password or whatever, he wasn't a professional wizarding spy...yet.) he was able to freely explore the rest of the chamber, eventually finding a room that seemed to be underneath a bathroom where he suspected the main entrance was.

Above all the chamber was _large_. There were occasions where he got back to the dormitories late and had to give the excuse that he lost track of time exploring, not a lie at all but still, he could only explore so much before he explored the whole castle. It was worth it though as he told Natasha about the 'meeting point' via sneaking into the Slytherin common room via secret passage and charmed robes to turn green. He had felt eyes on him the whole time he was there.

He and Nat also came to an agreement to learn animagus abilities, but not register. Thus, the two were often seen in the library looking up how to become animagi. While both had a theory on what their alternate forms were (Their alias' didn't come from no where), it would be a lie to say they weren't eager to find out for sure. Anyone who asked were told that they were considering learning later. (McGonnogall had been proud and offered to personally teach them when they made up their minds. For obvious reasons, they weren't going to take her up.)

All in all, Clint wondered if this was a normal experience as he enjoyed time with his partner.

"Have you heard?" Said partner suddenly asked one day while they were studying. Clint looked up at her, taking in her expression. He'd never seen her so...casual. He wished she'd look like that more often.

"I've heard a lot." He said in response. Natasha rolled her eyes at his smartass remark, but a small tug of her lips indicated her amusement.

"About Harry Potter. Apparently he made the quidditch team after that stunt in the flying lesson." She clarified with something akin to amusement. Clint took a second to sort through all the gossip he had heard. (Say what you want, the greatest gossips were in Hufflepuff. It was handy to know what was going on.)

"Yeah. I heard Ernie Mcmallin talking about it with the Fat Friar. Apparently he has surprisingly good eyesight with his glasses on." He said, earning a quirk of the lip from Natasha. Man, he loved it when he caused that.

"I suppose it _is_ rather surprising." She agreed in a way that clearly said she was thinking about something.

"Exactly what happened anyway? I've heard ridiculous rumors that say Steve jumped up and threw it off course before Harry caught it. 'It' ranges from a real snitch to a small pebble." Clint said as he put his book down and leaned back lazily. Natasha gave a small chuckle.

"Of all things, it was a remembral. Malfoy stole it from some Gryffindor who got himself hurt. He threw it and Harry caught it. I think Steve was trying to process what was going on while it happened, but he gave Malfoy a good talking to afterwards. I was actually able to hear his history as a military captain with the way he was talking." She said in amusement. Clint chuckled at that. It did sound like something he'd have wanted to see. It was honestly kind of amusing that it had happened about a week ago and was still the biggest news of the school.

"Sounds like I missed out on quite the event. Do you want to watch the match? I heard he has become the youngest seeker of the century." The archer said with a smirk at the prospect of it. Sure it would be loud, but he'd found a spell to help with that. Natasha's returning smirk was all the answer he needed, but first they'd have to enjoy Halloween. Another new experience for the duo.

Before Clint knew it, it was Halloween. A part of him marveled that it'd been a whole _two months_ sense he had killed anyone, the tiny part of him that still cared at this point. Most of him was indifferent to it. Classes were halved for the holiday, something Clint had every intention of taking advantage of as he made his way to charms. He absently noticed Phil wasn't there. By this point, no one was surprised as the whole school had dubbed him a 'house hopper' because no one but Clint and Natasha, and Maybe Stark and the older boy, Fury, knew he was actually a Hufflepuff. The guy was good at making himself forgettable yet likeable.

In charms, they were doing something Clint had wanted to do all year: The levitation spell. Sure, he'd studied ahead and already got this, but now he'd be able to perform it with no one getting suspicious! Everyone was grouped in twos to levitate their feather, Clint was with Justin. Soon, the whole room was filled with cries of 'wingardium leviosa'. The assassin purposely messed up a couple of times so as to not draw attention to himself, he'd actually do it as about the fourth one.

"See here everyone? Ms. Granger's done it!" Flitwick exclaimed, catching Clint's attention. Had he really lost sight of his surroundings? Sure enough, there was a feather innocently floating in the air a few feet. Briefly glancing at the source, Clint saw the rather proud looking girl next to a sulky looking readhead. He also noticed Steve nearby with an odd smile Clint recognized. The soldier was wondering if this was a normal experience. After the class Clint overheard the redhead spewing off major insults on the girl right behind him, had it been a few years ago he would have gone after her when she left in tears, but as he was now he just didn't care.

He was an assassin now, he'd caused worse. Steve was going after her anyway.

Potions went by smoothly, Snape still favoring him for some mysterious reason (that guy wouldn't be a half bad spy), while transfiguration had them turning an animal into a goblet. The archer didn't see the need for that, but it was a class, and just a small adjustment could turn it into a bag to hold a disarmed explosive in.

Lunch was spent reading up on animagi some more, both assassins were getting ready to start. It was also here that they crossed paths with Phil, Stark and Banner, and Clint decided to address the Hawkeye issue after Natasha 'coincidentally' remembered she had something to do. Waiting for them to sit down at their isolated part of the library, Clint eyed them for a minute to make it seem like contemplation before approaching.

"Evening Clint." Phil said after he caught sight of the assassin. Clint shuffled nervously for a second before taking a seat and shooting a glance at Banner.

"If this is about that offer, he already knows. Bruce has agreed to be one of our researchers." Stark said after a moment, prompting a confused look from Clint.

"Clint? So you're the one they suspect could help find _him_." Bruce whispered in way of greeting. Clint nodded, playing the part of a terrified child. Not hard as he knew firsthand what a terrified child felt like.

"I've...been thinking about it. If I'm going to help you find him, I want to know why we're searching." Clint stage whispered. Tony seemed to sober up at that while Phil nodded in understanding, now that the archer looked, he noticed a Slytherin tie.

"It is a long story. We'll have to meet up tonight to tell. For now, lunch is ending." The house hopper said in a tone of finality.

"Please, you could say that you're in one of the houses that has a longer break. How do you even keep up with all four schedules?" Tony said as he gathered his books up.

CRASH! An explosion with the sound of shattering glass went off in the distance at that moment.

"Looks like we're getting an extra break too. Let's go, we don't want those toxic fumes to hurt anyone." Bruce said hurriedly before running out, followed closely by Tony. Phil just gave a small shrug after making eye contact with Clint and made his own way out.

Clint decided then to get something to eat, having skipped eating entirely for the past couple of days (He didn't want to get used to eating regularly and suffer when he was back on the street). The feast, he admitted, made him jealous of the other students. Most the foods on the table were sugary sweets, making Clint have to actually look between the tables for something that _wasn't_ filled with sugar. Something Harry Potter actually questioned.

"Why don't you eat any of the sweets?" The boy had asked when he saw Clint's plate and what he was grabbing. Steve seemed to snicker a little from his spot nearby.

"Are you still banned from sugar Clint?" The soldier asked in amusement, causing a nearby redhead's eyes to go wide.

"Yeah. Nat said I don't need another sugar high." The assassin said with a chuckle as he picked out an apple nearby. Steve chuckled slightly, but had the decency to not rub in his lack of a ban by not stuffing his face...unlike the other boy.

"C'mon mate. It's Halloween, you're supposed to get a sugar high." The redhead said with his mouth full. Clint shook his head slightly.

"Nat would kill me." He said, conveniently ducking in time to avoid being grabbed by each shoulder.

"What's this we hear-"

"About a bann from eating-"

"All things sweet?!" A pair of identical redheads, probably related to the other, asked dramatically. The younger one had the decency to swallow, but not let Clint answer for himself.

"He's not eating any candy!" The boy accused in a similar dramatic fashion.

"Ron!" Harry Potter scolded, but went unheeded as his friend continued with a small lecture about the meaning of Halloween. By the end of it, his brothers were weeping in mock pride and pilling Clint's plate with candy before ushering him back to the Hufflepuff table. Clint decided to just go with it, it'd be suspicious if he didn't. That's what he'd tell Nat anyway. He wasn't sure if he'd regret it as he ate a carmel apple.

 ***Will be explained in year three, or I could rush his meeting with a dementor. Still deciding on that as it** _ **is**_ **Clint, one of the mysterious assassins.**

 **Also, at this point neither Coulon or Fury are suspecting Clint because they have no reason to believe Hawkeye to be a kid, or that he's at Hogwarts.**

 **As for Phil, I saw that in another fanfiction and had to put it. Warning: He's not the only house hopper.**

 **Next: Clint learns about S.H.I.E.L.D and Steve learn's Hawkeye is in the castle.**


	4. Chapter 4

"TROLL! IN THE DUNGEON!" The _Defense Against the Dark Arts professor_ shouted frantically as he dashed into the great hall the moment Clint bit into his caramel apple. "Thought you'd want to know." Then his eyes rolled up into his head and he fainted. Yeah, not suspicious at all for a professor that's _supposed_ to specialize in such scenarios. Or maybe that was his paronia from the streets and later becoming an assassin talking. Either way, as the students panicked and ran around like chickens with their heads cut off, Clint let himself be pushed over to the Slytherin table before sitting next to a seemingly paralyzed Natasha. The girl had froze with a hand outstretched for a goblet and had a false expression of fear on her face. Clint himself was pretending to be numb in shock at the news as he made eye contact with her when she slowly turned to face him.

Unlike others, he could read her true meaning.

 _How suspicious._ Her gaze said.

 _Should we keep an eye on him?_ Clint replied with a look.

At that moment, Dumbledore got up and both assassins took that as a cue to disappear. Both waited in the shadows outside the great hall as students filed out, followed by teachers with the notable exceptions of Snape and Querill. Waiting a minute more, Querill made his way out. He didn't appear the usual nervous wreck, but more sinister. Dangerous even. Natasha had gone ahead so as to make an alibi, so he was on his own at the moment. He'd have to keep an eye on both of them until Nat found them.

Waiting another minute found the other missing Professor. Snape came out cautiously and promptly began tailing Querill. Clint tailed both Professors, quickly making his way up on support beams so as to get a better view of them - an impressive feat considering how high they were. Querill seemed to have a specific destination in mind, one that wasn't the dungeons, while Snape tailed behind at a distance, occasionally ducking behind suites of armor and into hidden passages when Querill looked back. Clint found himself once more thinking the guy wouldn't be a bad spy. Might actually be one with how easy he seemed. None of that rookie nervousness.

As Clint followed the two, Natasha found them and ducked into the shadows underneath Clint, looking up to see if he was there. When he leaned over so she could see his position, she flashed a familiar item. Clint's bow sat innocently in her hands, causing him to swoop down and grab it before returning to his position. He also noticed she had cast an illusion over herself as well, making her appear in her early thirties clad in the usual catsuit she used for such operations. Clint's own illusion did the same thing, making him appear a thirty year old version of himself, not that anyone would be able to tell behind his mask, present courtesy of the illusion. He would prefer the real one as a simple 'Finite' would give him away, but beggars can't be choosers or whatever ordinary kids said.

The two assassins tailed the two professors, coming to the silent decision that Natasha would go after Snape while Clint went ahead to get a better eye on Querill from the higher position. Said professor seemed to anticipate people coming from anywhere _but_ the ceiling as he constantly looked around. The stairs proved to be difficult to tail him through however, as they were ever changing. The perfect place to catch someone redhanded or lose them. Clint avoided it by going in one of his secret passages, constantly peaking through pictures and tapestries to make sure he went the right way.

He waited outside when they reached the third floor corridor and Querril went in. It wasn't that Clint couldn't follow or anything, it was that he had caught sight of a giant, three headed, bloodhound and wasn't _that_ suicidal. There were sounds of a struggle from inside before Querill hurriedly came back out and moved in the direction of the dungeons after giving the door one last scowl. Seeing all he had needed, Clint waited where he was as Snape made his appearance, having lost him on the stairs, and also went in. The man emerged a few minutes later with a wounded leg, having obviously been bitten, before also heading toward the dungeons.

After he was sure they were gone, Clint dropped down from his perch and landed beside an equally interested Natasha. Neither spoke aloud, they had nothing to disguise their voices, but they were both aware of what the other was thinking.

They had probably stumbled upon something big.

* * *

"What the hell was that?" Clint hissed the next day. The assassins were once more in the library studying animagi when he got frustrated with his own pondering. Natasha frowned at him.

"A conspiracy. It's not important to us." She said shortly. In true Barton fashion, Clint pressed on.

"It might not, but it could affect us. I say we keep an eye on it. Our mission is to gather Intel right?" He asked quietly, the seriousness of the discussion belayed by their casual, almost amused, stances.

"True, but you need to keep an eye on those others too." Natasha's brow furrowed in thought, "Leave the teachers to me. Snape is probably a spy too, and you don't have the experience I have." She said after a moment.

"Nat, we've been partners for -"

"Two years. Face it, you may be a prodigy, but you don't have the experience to go against a seasoned spy like him. Some of those methods he used yesterday were some even _I_ am impressed with." Natasha cut him off with a sharp look. Clint hesitated a moment. She thought of him as an assassin prodigy? He hadn't even wanted to be an assassin. While he was flattered she thought so high of his skill, it wasn't a skill he had wanted. He just accepted he had it after a while, never had any intention of honing it. That had been something he did for _her._

"I just try to survive." He muttered absently as he closed his book. Had he looked at her, he would have noticed that Natasha was visibly startled at his admittance, but he had a mission. He needed to meet Phil. He'd pursue this topic later.

In light of the troll, his meeting with Phil was delayed to that night instead of the previous. He nonchalantly walked to the specified meeting point: An empty classroom on the ground floor that doubled as Tony Stark and Bruce Banner's lab. Clint had ran a few rounds of the school on occasion in order to keep updated about his surroundings and found the lab a few week or so after the first round. He had kept a regular routine of making rounds to know what was going on, but he had never let himself be seen. This would be his first time freely in there, but to throw them off he was taking his time. He'd claim he got lost when he arrived.

It was about a half an hour later, ten minutes late for the meeting, that he arrived at his destination. As anticipated, Phil, Stark, Banner, Fury, and Hill were all present. What wasn't predicted was Steve's presence. He let his surprise show before 'recovering' and taking a seat.

"Glad you could make it Barton. I was beginning to think you weren't coming." Fury said. Clint gave a sheepish smile and rubbed his neck.

"Sorry. I was in the library and got lost on the way here. Vanishing corridors and moving stairs aren't the best for navigating." He said.

"Seconded. It's a nightmare walking around this castle at night." Tony quickly said, earning a stern look from Steve, "Let's face it: I've done _far_ worse than skip curfew." He added. Steve sighed but didn't deny it. Bruce gave a soft cough before speaking.

"Getting lost is understandable. Can we..." He trailed off with a vague gesture, effectively defusing the tension, though Clint noticed Steve was eyeing the scientist wearily. His reputation for anger must be true if that was the case.

"Thank you Dr. Banner." Nick Fury said when everyone quieted down, "Now for the explanation we owe you Mr. Barton. As you know, we are searching for the assassin known as Hawkeye. This isn't some half planned scheme. Hawkeye is an associate of the Black Widow, likely against his will." Yeah, he _so_ wanted nothing to do with her, "It is our hope that if we convince him to talk, we can gain a foot hold for S.H.I.E.L.D, an intelligence organization that we plan to make." Clint frowned slightly at that. It did sound half planned to him, how did they intend to get him away from the Black Widow? Phil took a step forward as he spoke up.

"While not much is known, we have confirmed that Hawkeye is an archer, and does use the stereotype of high ground. Black Widow has been known for hiding in plain sight, never hiding in such a fashion. It is safe to say she doesn't accompany him on these circumstances." He said in a detached fashion. Tony frowned slightly.

"Back up Nickie." Fury gave a glare that made Clint proud, "You didn't tell us this part." The scientist said, getting a nod of agreement from Bruce.

"He's right. This seems to dive pretty far in for a foothold." Steve said with an equal frown "Why go so far right away?"

"Because Captain, we can't have it seem that you're going soft." Surprisingly, Hill spoke for the first time since the meeting. Steve gave a surprised expression.

"So I'm supposed to make contact?" He asked in shock.

"Who else is capable captain? Hawkeye is said to have unparalleled accuracy with his bow as well as a variety of trick arrows and an array of hand to hand combat. By making contact with him, you could get S.H.I.E.L.D off the ground. At that point, we'll be able to get more agents and proper combat training." Nick said from his seat.

"What exactly _is_ S.H.I.E.L.D?" Clint asked, having had enough of the mystery.

"S.H.I.E.L.D is to be an intelligence agency founded by director Fury specializing in detecting and preventing future dark wizards and muggle terrorists. Stark has agreed to fund us while Captain Rogers has volunteered to be one of our first agents." Hill said diplomatically. Clint nodded slowly as he took in what he had learned.

"And I guess I'm supposed to try and guess Hawkeye's position?" He asked after a moment. Phil nodded.

"Pretty much. As you won't be one of our agents but rather a consultant, you won't be sent to the field and only pinpoint possible locations for an archer." The househopper stated. Clint was starting to see why Tony always talked about him being meant to be an agent.

"That's what you mean." He said as he pointed to the fanboy and looked at the genius. Said genius leaned forward slightly.

"Exactly! He was meant for this. Why can't any of you guys get it? He does." The young genius looked around as he said this. No one seemed impressed as they looked between the two.

"What have we opened up to?" Steve asked quietly to Bruce, who was sitting beside him.

"I don't know." The temperamental scientist replied just as quietly. Just then something occurred to Clint.

"But if you do this now, then won't people try to stop you on account of being kids?" He asked curiously. They did seem to have it thought out, but how well? As a spy, it was his job to find out.

"We don't plan to go public for a long time." Fury said promptly. Steve decided to add his own two cents then.

"Besides, I still got some connections in the world. We could cover the whole 'vigilante' act as what it is: A secret organization. Albus already knows I'm doing something, though I haven't told him what or who's involved."

"And it will stay secret because of this." Hill withdrew a parchment "It's a privacy parchment. Anyone who breaks contract will have all memory of S.H.I.E.L.D wiped and replaced with regular activities and we will be alerted of who's told. If you want to back down, this is your only chance." As everyone signed, Clint thought about it. He'd learned that this kind of thing relied heavily on who you were, that was one of the first things he looked up. He'd read rather deep into it and asked Natasha to take a look as well, something she complied to as it was vital, and they found a loophole. Thinking of this, Clint signed when his turn came, after thoroughly reading it of course.

"With this, S.H.I.E.L.D is one step closer to being an official organization. Dismissed." Fury said when everything was in order. Everyone left the room with a lot on their minds, some wondering what to do next, other's wondering how they'd do their part, but Clint had a mission. He'd tell Natasha exactly what had happened. Not as Clint to Natasha, but Hawkeye to Black Widow.

* * *

November brought with it the quiditch season as people dressed in heavy winter cloths worked with a sense of excitement. Clint also had his own assignments to deal with at this time, such as adjusting his footing so he wouldn't slip from his perches, which had frosted over. Snape, who was still an unknown variable to the assassins, limped around the grounds in a foul mood. Clint had noticed it had been getting better sense the dark holiday passed.

Natasha had drug Clint to interrogate him once, but they had come up with almost nothing other than the man had regrets. Clint found himself sympathizing with the man somewhat - he didn't want to kill as many as he did. At first anyway, he had found it was easier to just not care aftwe a while.

It was that Saturday that the first quiditch match of the season was to take place: Gryfindor vs Slytherin. The day of the match, Clint found himself prepping for the match by performing a muting spell on himself, with Snape's supervision, so that he wouldn't go deaf. He also had his bow stashed within his robes in case something went wrong that required Hawkeye to act. Last, he mentally prepared himself. Clint rarely attended social events - Nat had once had him accompany her for an assassination but that was it. He'd already made up his mind to cheer for Slytherin, that was Nat's house after all, but he worried he was going to screw something up.

"Something wrong, Barton?" Snape asked as he performed a diagnostic spell to make sure the muting one had been done right. Clint gave a light shrug, noting absently that it sounded duller when he spoke, as if under light water or something.

"Just a little nervous I guess. You don't really get to attend social events when your time is taken by surviving the day and finding a place for the night." He said, adding the last bit at Snape's quirked brow. Said professor grimaced lightly.

"I can't say I understand the feeling, but you should get used to it." He said as he began guiding Clint to the quiditch pitch. Once there the two parted ways, Snape for the teachers' stand and Clint for the Slytherin stands, where Natasha was with another Slytherin boy.

"Glad you could make it Clint." Natasha said, though with the muting charm it sounded more like a whisper.

"Glad I could too. Who's this?" He asked, gesturing to the other boy.

"Loki." The boy said with a mischievous smile. He had smooth, black hair that was cut short and mischief filled, emerald eyes that regarded Clint as if searching for the best prank. Clint liked him. He also noticed that Loki and Natasha had binoculars. He guessed it would be harder to see if you didn't have hawk like vision.

At that moment, a loud whistle blew, and Clint was glad he had the muting spell if that was an indication of how it was going to be. Fifteen brooms, one of which was Madam Hootch (who had quickly learned that it could be hard to get Clint out of the air). Clint found himself enjoying the match despite Gryffindor being in the lead. It was really something that seemed enjoyable. Too bad it'd draw attention to him.

Half way through the game, something did go wrong. Harry Potter's broom seemed to develop a mind of it's own as it began bucking like some of the wilder horses he'd rode at the circus. At that height though, if he fell...he wouldn't be as lucky as Clint was. Natasha gave it a suspicious look before her gaze slid to Loki, Clint following suit.

"What? Not all mischief is my doing you know." The boy said innocently when he felt two gazes on him. Clint shrugged before looking around. The banner that said 'Potter for President' was an annoying distraction, but underneath it he could see Steve looking around quickly as well while Potter's friends looked at him hopefully. In the Ravenclaw stand, Tony and Bruce were in a heated discussion rather than paying attention to the pitch, while Phil, Maria, and Fury had just split up to look around from the Hufflepuff stand. Clint's gaze then landed on the teachers' stands, there was a missing teacher. One that had gone to the third floor on Halloween. Querril. Oh, and Snape was muttering a curse or counter curse. Given what he had seen at Halloween, Clint guessed the latter.

"I'm going to take a look around." He muttered before leaving in the opposite direction, turning around and doubling toward the teachers' stand when he got out of sight. A little parkour and a bludger later (As well as his illusion, he didn't want anyone, especially S.H.I.E.L.D, to see him doing this stuff), Clint was directly underneath the teachers, trying to listen in to what was said. Unfortunately, the muting charm prevented him from hearing what was said as it was so low. Damn, if he couldn't hear it, how was he to find out if he or Natasha could be targeted?

"Hawkeye." Damn. How did he not hear someone approaching? The muting charm must have been better than he thought. The assassin quickly turned, notching an arrow, to see Steve was there with his shield up. Without a word, he raised a finger to his lips as he relaxed his stance to show he wasn't hostile. Steve kept his tense posture until Clint pointed up and then at Potter before tapping his ear.

Steve seemed to get the message then as, while he kept his tense stance, he seemed to concentrate on listening. After a minute, he shook his head and gestured for them to go somewhere else, so it was a counter curse. Snape must have been trying to stop the real threat: Querril. Clint gave him a hard look before shrugging lightly. Maybe speaking to them face to face as Hawkeye could give him more answers.

The child soldier led him a little ways into the Forbidden Forest - a dark forest with tall trees that even the sun had trouble penetrating. Clint jumped lightly on the lowest branch of a nearby tree and quietly removed the muting charm as Steve looked around for eavesdroppers. By the time he turned to face him, Hawkeye had his bow trained on the soldier. There was a moment of silence in which Steve seemed to mentally curse himself as he readied his shield.

"Why are you here?" Steve asked when he showed no sign of moving. Clint didn't answer, merely kept his bow ready, so Steve seemed to try a different approach.

"Are you here to kill anyone?" He asked again. This time Clint shook his head slightly, causing Steve to relax marginally. It wasn't like that knowledge could be used to trace him...right? Either way, it seemed the better option of the two.

"Are you here to learn something?" Steve asked, a little less stern but still as 'Captain America' rather than Steve Rogers, Just as Clint Barton was currently 'Hawkeye'. Clint didn't respond, causing Steve to sigh and lower his weapon.

"Look, I'm not hostile. I just want to talk to you." The soldier said, raising his hands in a peace gesture. One that wasn't offensive, but ready to defend at a moments notice. Smart. Clint lowered his bow, still notched, and tilted his head slightly in interest. Steve seemed to take that as a good sign as he began talking.

"I know this is a personal question so you don't have to answer, but what drove you to become an assassin? Was it the Black Widow?" He asked with a look Clint couldn't quite read. He'd never received one like that before. His expression must have given something away because Steve's look softened some more.

"...Has anyone ever cared for you?" He asked quietly. Clint felt his mouth tug into a frown against his will as he thought about it. _Has_ anyone ever cared for him before? Swordmaster had stabbed him and left him for dead - after holding him hostage - and Barney...Barney had never come after him. Neither did Marksmen.

Before he could persue that train of thought and lose anymore control of himself than he already had he forced himself to focus on the present and slipped back into a neutral mindset. He was sure Steve had gotten all the answer he needed in his brief lack of control anyway. Thus, he retreated higher into the trees and quietly left, dispelling his illusion when he made it back to the quiditch pitch. He slipped into the dispersing crowd a few seconds before Steve emerged from the forest.

* * *

"You. Did. What?" Natasha hissed when Clint met up with her and explained the situation. Clint, to his credit, didn't flinch as he replied.

"I figured 'Hawkeye' could get more information than 'Clint', so I followed Steve when he caught me. I'm not going to use that muting charm again though - too risky." He said. Natasha gave a light glare.

"Understatement of the century. Even amateurs know never to do something like that. What did you say to him?"

"Nothing. I just let him ask a couple of questions before leaving." The archer nonchalantly stated, "He seems to think you forced me into this." Natasha didn't respond, choosing instead to eye him strangely. It wasn't...like her to look like that. What was she thinking? The assassins suddenly remembered the time at that moment as they left the chamber of secrets, sneaking back into their respective dorms quietly. When Phil asked where he had been, Clint responded with a 'looking for vantage spots in the dark'. It seemed to appease the boy as he he only gave him a warning about Hawkeye's presence in the castle.

 **I've decided I'll just focus on this than go to the other sides of the story.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Well this chapter took a turn for the dark side. Probably my darkest piece ever. Don't worry though, it will lighten up again.**

If there was one time a year that Clint was nearly guaranteed to stand out, it was Christmas. The boy had never had a proper Christmas celebration before and thus didn't know how he _should_ act. There was also the matter of his less than ideal family issue and his becoming an assassin that caused him to have a certain resentment to the holiday. Sure he was no grinch, but he actively avoided celebrations too as in his mind it just rubbed his situation in his face.

Clint took his frustrations out in the form of pranks most of the time. The assassin could commonly be found in the icy halls bewitching several things to cause mischief, aided by Loki who he had found held similar feelings toward the holiday. Neither questioned the other as to why they didn't like it, they just knew they made a hell of a mischievous team. Earning the attention of the Weasely twins. The two teams quickly found themselves in a prank war, much to the castle's amusement/horror, as they tried to out do the other. Clint and Loki were never caught while the twins had a huge stack of trouble waiting for them. (By the end of it it was unanimously agreed that Loki was the god of mischief)

All in all, it was one of his better years. He wouldn't be killing anyone this time so he could just relax and hide out on the top of the castle until it all ended. At least that had been the plan before Natasha told him to sign up to leave the castle. Bummer, and now all the teachers were trying to talk them out of it as Snape had apparently spread word of their living conditions. His argument was that he didn't want to get reliant when he inevitably left for the summer.

There was also the matter of telling S.H.I.E.L.D he was leaving.

The group of kids had been on edge every sense Steve had reported Hawkeye's presence and had pressured him to find more vantage points on several occasions. Steve even made it a point to check in on them on occasion to make sure they were okay, though Clint privately wondered why he had taken such a personal interest. He still hadn't figured out that expression the soldier had held. It was starting to drive him crazy not knowing. He decided to confront the soldier about it himself, thus used his free period to wait outside the potion's class when he knew it was a Griffindor/Slytherin class.

At some point while he was waiting, Hagrid appeared with a large tree and spotted Clint, much to the assassin's dismay. The half giant, as he had learned, was just too kind hearted and had taken to insisting on spending time with the assassin lately. It wasn't that he hated it or anything, quite the opposite, it was just...strange. His last two Christmas', and likely this one too, were filled with blood, so who was to say he wasn't liable to hurt the man on accident?

Another thing, lately the wall he had built up around his heart had been crumbling. His emotions were coming back in confusing waves that made him doubt himself constantly, not that he let it affect his performance. Maybe that was why Natasha had insisted he leave - because he was losing the edge Natasha had carved into him. He blamed S.H.I.E.L.D.

"-Alrigh' Clint?" Hagrid's voice snapped him out of his melancholy mood as he jumped up, his hands making to grab a knife, and looked at the giant in a defensive crouch. He took a second to even out his breathing into the trained steadiness Natasha had taught him before speaking.

"Yeah, just thinking." Hagrid's beetle like eyes softened into another one of those damn unreadable expressions that he had come to _loathe_ with a passion.

"Yeh want to talk abou' it?" The half giant asked as he put the tree down, right where it was blocking his view of the potions' room.

"Not particularly." And like that, he started putting his walls back up.

"Well, if ya ever feel like it, don' hesitate to come to my hut. Alrigh'?" Hagrid pressed with a gentle smile. Before Clint could respond, the potion's class let out and started coming into the halls, Clint decided to not question Steve after all. It'd probably just hurt if he knew. He shouldn't delude himself. Clint was Hawkeye - the very assassin that S.H.I.E.L.D was searching for. He also worked for the Black Widow - he'd just wind up killing them if Natasha decided he needed to. The part of him that he had foolishly opened back up screamed that he couldn't do that. He ruthlessly clamped down on it. Pretty soon he'd be back in the streets being forced to kill to survive again. He left just as Steve came out.

Clint and Natasha were among the first one's on the Hogwarts express as they both went over their various weapons. The curtain was drawn so no one would see them as Clint took advantage of that and climbed up on the luggage rack to check on his bow while Natasha just sharpened her knives.

"Our missions will be limited to England for the time being. Our first target is a small time wizard family so that we can test our proficiency. Are you up for this?" Natasha questioned after a short brief as she eyed him sharply, having obviously caught on to his recent struggle.

"Out there it's kill or be killed. I just foolishly let myself fall for an illusion for a while is all." He replied as he drew his bowstring to test it's sturdiness. Natasha seemed satisfied with his answer as she resumed sharpening her weapons. The ride progressed silently from there and before they knew it, both assassins were preparing for their mission.

* * *

Clint scoped out the building first from an adjacent rooftop. When he was satisfied with his search, he motioned for Natasha to move in. Not missing a beat, the female schooled her features to those of a lost child and approached the building. Clint readied his bow to cover her. _Kill or be killed._ What had this random family ever done to him? _Kill or be killed._ That's right, he was a survivor. _You can't trust anyone._ Then what about Natasha? _Kill or be killed_. An image of Barney flashed through his head. _You'll just be betrayed._ He knew that. _She'll leave as soon as you run out of use to her._

A crash and bright light snapped Clint out of his trance and he focused back in to see Natasha roll out of the way of another stunner while frantically gesturing to him. There had apparently been an unexpected turn of events. _She'll kill you. You know too much._ Natasha back-flipped out of the way of another stunner before taking cover that was promptly vanished. _Then I guess I'll just have to not run out of use._ Clint released his arrow. Just as he hoped, the couple caught the arrow with a levitation charm and began looking at his direction even as the arrow began beeping. Three. The couple spotted him. Two. They gained a horrified look before turning to each other. One. The couple shared a look of resignation as the arrow blew up on them. When the smoke cleared, they had that damn expression that Clint _just couldn't comprehend!_

"What took you so long?" Natasha asked with a quirked brow as they made their way away from the crime scene. Clint glanced at her for a moment, not responding. Natasha seemed to get that he was thinking about something as she just kept an eye on him as she waited for him to respond. _She'll kill you._

"Something that won't happen again." He finally responded as he looked forward.

"See to it that it doesn't." _Kill or be killed._ What had he fallen in love with?

True to his word Clint didn't hesitate for the rest of the holidays, systematically killing his targets without fail. He saw this whole experience as an eye opener: He couldn't trust anyone. Trust just led to pain, yet he still stayed with Natasha. He really was the idiot she called him. On Christmas Eve, they stopped by Nocturne Alley to do something they should have months ago. They removed the trace from their wands. The shopkeeper seemed unnerved at their expressions and the way they carried themselves, something Natasha didn't hesitate in using.

"I suggest that if you want to keep your head, you tell no one of this exchange." She had uttered with a frighteningly sweet smile. Clint had been 'innocently' testing a sword behind her as she spoke with a smirk of his own. They'd gotten the trace removed for free, with the bonus of a free cursed sword. Apparently it was capable of cutting through wards. Clint stored it in his new bottomless pocket. Beyond that, not much of note happened before the two returned to Hogwarts.


End file.
